Stone Cold
by forinsyther
Summary: SURPRISE BITCHES! Bet you thought you'd seen the last of me ;) Aerrow's wish to stop the zombie apocalypse was granted, but nobody said the new war was over. (Sequel to the New War)
1. Prologue

**HEY YOU GUYS! Are you surprised to see me? OK if any of you are wondering; no, making a sequel to New War was not some random thing that I've suddenly decided to do, I have been planning this for friggin ages. I didn't say anything because I wanted to surprise you...so you guys better be surprised ;) **

**Anyway I know I already thanked some of you, but thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the finale and told me what they thought about that horrific thing that I did at the ending. I'd be lying if I said I didn't laugh like a manic villain whilst writing that -3- *teenie weenie shout out again to that guest who kept reviewing all my chapters, you're awesome!***

**So *deep breath* here we go again! I don't own storm hawks although if I had the money I'd pay them to keep making episodes. **

**I really really really hope y'all enjoy what I've got in store for this fanfiction**

**OoO.**

The humming of the Condor engine. Radarr's chirps. Endless laughter as Finn continued to make a fool of himself.

Aerrow had wished and dreamt of nights like this while surviving the zombie apocalypse. And now that he had it, it overwhelmed him. When he was with them, with his friends, looking into their happy oblivious faces; it was no less than magic. And on nights like this his cheeks would ache from the smile that beamed brightly non stop.

It was a Saturday night, and that meant game night for the Storm Hawks, something Aerrow had enforced after the wish making stunt.

Finn was now using straws to make ridiculous animal impressions, and even though it was silly, Aerrow admired him. Because Finn was never afraid to be or do whatever he felt like, and he didn't seem to care what people thought of him.

Stork was at the edge of the couch, with his knees tucked up to his chest, shaking his head at the blonde's adolescence.

These days, whenever the Merb would start preaching about mind worms and other disturbing tales of the night, Aerrow would never roll his eyes like he used to. Instead, he found himself silently thanking the pilot for his crazy paranoia.

Piper was sitting so close to the redhead that their shoulders were brushing. Much to his dismay, her knowledge of any kisses shared was non existent. He had held onto her all day when he first returned home, but so far no attempts had been made to ask the pretty navigator out.

And Junko, that lovable caring Wallop, was currently patting Finn playfully on the back, laughing the hardest at his friend's jokes. When Aerrow watched those two together, a hole in his heart made itself known. Because he had never felt what having a best friend all to himself was like, until...

The game night ended. Everyone was drowsy and yawning. Piper had won the game, Finn lost miserably, and as they all headed to their bedrooms he was groaning about how she must have cheated. Which she waved off with some sassy comeback, something that Aerrow couldn't help but smirk proudly at.

As soon as he was alone in his room, Aerrow's shoulders slumped and his head tilted down. He wandered over to his desk, his emerald eyes glazed with melancholy. This state was nothing new, he always felt like this when he was detached from the other Storm Hawks, because he had nothing to distract him.

There was a calender hanging on the wall above his desk. The Sky Knight sighed, picked up a pen and marked down another day with a big red cross.

His dry throat made it hard to swallow, his hand drew to his chest, clutching the Storm Hawk pendant tightly through his shirt.

"Oh god...has it been a month already?"

**OoO.**

**Please review and let me know if you're glad I've made a sequel, and if you're looking forward to seeing what happens to our zombie survivor :)**

**I'll try to upload as quick as I can so...pfft ahahahaha yeah I know you won't hold your breath ^^"**


	2. One does not simply say no to free food

**Oh god I've only uploaded the prologue and already I'm handing out terribly late updates. Jesus I am so sorry seriously. **

**The reason for such a late chapter update is because recently I've had serious trouble with writers block, like I didn't even feel like writing at all which seriously sucked. But I'm finally back on track and here with chapter one of stone cold ^^**

**I hope you like this chapter and sorry it's kind of short ~**

**OoO.**

An ear wrecking shriek ran through the Condor, causing Finn to fall out of his chair, and made Aerrow subconsciously reach down to his belt which had been empty for over a month now.

The culprit behind the noise was Piper, therefore triggering the redhead to race to her, which seemed to be echoing from the hanger bay.

Images flashed with every step as he ran, eyes forgetting to blink as he worked to keep his cool. He reached her, panting with fear rather than need for breath.

Besides Piper who appeared to be fine, there was nothing around that he could see. Aerrow looked befuddled as he watched the Crystal Mage jumping on the spot with her amber eyes squeezed shut.

"Piper are you OK? What happened?"

Her eyes snapped open and the second she laid eyes on her friend, she practically pounced on him, waving a golden envelope in his face.

Her elated state heightened her voice to a squeak, "Oh Aerrow! Look! Look! Look! Look what came in the mail!"

"A letter?"

"Not just a letter; a Golden letter!" The Sky Knight held onto her, smiling at her giddiness but silent with confusion.

"That means it came from the Rex Guardians! I opened it and - just look Aerrow, look!" He obeyed and pulled the letter out of the already torn envelope. The writer had clearly mastered the beautiful art of calligraphy, and as he read it the teen guessed that a woman probably wrote it, until he spotted Harrier's signature at the bottom.

The letter was actually an invitation. Harrier and the Rex Guardians had funded a hotel, that had just been built in their honour. It was the grand opening tomorrow night and he was officially inviting them to spend a week in_** 'Hotel Le Rex' **_free of charge.

Which explained why Piper had been squealing high enough to shatter glass. It was one thing to visit the Terra and soak up their culture and art, but to be asked to attend the opening to a luxury hotel by the Sky Knight whom she admired? No wonder she couldn't stop jittering with delight.

Once the couple had returned to the rest of the squadron, and after they reassured Stork that it was safe to take the ear plugs out, they stood before the crew and readied to share the news.

A quick side glance and a sweet smile, then Aerrow announced with exaggerated enthusiasm "Alright guys pack your best clothes, we're going to Terra Rex for the week!"

"Aw man are you serious?" Finn groaned, slamming his head on the table.

While Aerrow could relate to the sharp shooter's grumbling, Piper was highly offended and nagged, "Finn, show some respect! Besides, we should feel honoured that we've actually been invited. It means more and more people are seeing us as an actual squadron, not only that, but it means they're recognising a sense of maturity with us too."

The blonde crossed his arms and grimaced, "Hmph either that or he was desperate to fill up the rooms."

In between munches on a sandwich that was dissolving in mustard Junko asked, "Opening to what?" And then he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, as if already trying to practice looking dignified.

Clasping her hands together, "Hotel Le Rex!" she exclaimed with a high pitch accompaniment, the Merb was unfortunately too late with the ear plugs.

Finn sighed, burying his face in his grubby hands.

"Finn," she chimed with sparkly eyes, "there's going to be free food for the whole week."

He jolted up, his face a whole new kind of happy, "I'm in!"

The boys packed their stuff, all the while with slumped shoulders and a moan rumbling in their throats. Because Piper insisted that she help each of them decide which clothes were acceptable for such a prestige place.

And she was glad she did too. Because Stork wanted to take a gas mask, Finn thought a shirt with a curry stain was acceptable, Junko had a pile of metal that he wanted to take to make his hotel room more "homey", and Aerrow thought that wearing his Sky Knight attire would be fine for most of the time.

Luckily she had actually managed to salvage some smart shirts, pants without patches or holes, and shoes that would be fine with a little spit shine.

Once that was out of the way, she hurried to her own room and fished out some skirts and dresses saved for a special occasion. The Crystal Mage grinned with enthusiasm as she looked in the slightly cracked mirror, and pictured herself in the grand hall of the glimmering hotel. Her cheeks flushed as she began twirling on the spot, her eyes drifting shut, as she imagined herself slow dancing with Aerrow.

Once they were all relatively presentable for a Terra such a Rex, Stork flew the Condor to the immense landing strip. Waiting for them on the freshly cut grass was an escort with his chest pushed outward, who lead them directly to the newly opened building with pride, which was littered with people and cameras. Just outside the grand doors was Harrier currently signing autographs, his golden hair shining as brightly as the sun.

Harrier wore a bloated grin, bearing his pearly whites. He wasn't wearing his armour or uniform, instead he was modelling a suit complete with frills and a bow tie. Finn couldn't reign back the urge to roll his eyes, and muttered the word "Lame."

He greeted the Storm Hawks with a gracious bow, which Piper happily curtsied to in response. On the way in through the doors each Storm Hawk shook his hand and politely thanked him for the invitation, almost exactly like Piper had told them.

Once they were all inside the Rex Guardian followed them in, and without a moment to spare began the tour, asking them to keep up as he was expecting more guests within an hour. Piper was by Harrier's side all the way, listening intently, asking questions about what kind of crystals they used for the lights and where they purchased the expensive looking busts from.

There were members of staff running around in an orderly fashion, carrying blinding white towels and pushing neatly organised trolleys. Each one greeted the guests respectfully.

As they reached the top of another flight of stairs, they passed Starling chatting to the Screaming Queens, and all of the ladies appeared to have dressed for the occasion.

It was odd seeing the Interceptor in a short dress and heels, she was even wearing a bit of make up, and had styled her hair. She looked so different, but so beautiful, Aerrow and Finn were gaping without even knowing.

Naturally the Crystal Mage excitedly approached them, telling them what a lovely coincidence it was to see them here.

After saying hello, Starling smirked and teased, "Ah Harrier, how big of you to invite the Storm Hawks here too, I'm so proud of you." She noticed the Storm Hawks looking a little confused, so when they passed her on the stairs she whispered to the young squadron, "Your action figures just came out and they're selling better than his."

"Dude no way! Is mine selling the most?"

A slight pause then she answered with a fake smile, "Yes."

"Sweet," Finn gleamed and fist pumped.

They were all shown to their rooms. Aerrow, Piper and Radar shared. The two of them tried to shroud their bashful faces after noticing that the beds were pretty close together.

Finn and Junko had a room together, and were reminded five times that if they were going to order room service to please keep the mess to a minimum.

Stork on the other hand was given a single and was grateful for it. He headed straight inside, and proceeded to spray a disinfectant all over.

It was expected of everyone to attend dinner tonight together. And because Piper kept giving Harrier all of her attention, Aerrow tried to look as formally as possible to impress her. So the redhead was wearing a white shirt, with a blue striped tie and black pants for the meal.

Piper came out of the bathroom with a midnight blue dress on that reached past her knees, with tiny gems twinkling at the bottom. Aerrow was dumbfounded when he first saw her, the words "You look beautiful" tumbled out of his mouth.

They met Finn and Junko out in the hallway. The sharpshooter was wearing a casual blue t-shirt and black jeans, because the Wallop mentioned that maybe shorts were a little too make-yourself-at-home, but he insisted on wearing the sunglasses. Junko had navy blue pants on, and a clean jumper that he kept nervously tugging on.

Stork was the last one out, and had not bothered to change, so he was wearing a white t-shirt, with a green jacket over the top, and was still wearing his Storm Hawk pants, because this place wasn't impressive enough to make that much of an effort.

Dinner was shared with the rest of the guests, and Piper found the atmosphere to be absolutely delightful. Everyone was smiling, relaxed and polite. The boys of the Storm Hawks had revised their manners and were actually acting them out which was a bonus.

The food was delicious, every morsel tickled your taste buds and left you hungry for more. Of course every time someone complimented it Harrier boasted as if he himself had prepared it, but everyone resisted the urge to sneer.

All the civilians were at the bottom of the massive table, and all the squadrons were grouped together at the top where Harrier sat. It was so pleasant hanging out with every singly knight of the sky, without any form of competition or reason to squabble ruining the tranquil mood.

Of course, Finn just had to start a session of joke telling. Unfortunately he started it with his lame impression of Ravess, and was ignorant to the fact that they were laughing at him not with him. But it kept the evening light and other peoples jokes were actually good.

One of the Buff Buzzards spoke up, "OK wanna hear a good joke?" He waited for a few nods then said, "Cyclonia!" There were chuckles and amused head shakes from the Sky Knights, and he even got a few "You got that right!"

The Sky Knight of the third degree burners then said "You think that's funny? Listen to this," he waited for the crowd to silence and focus on him, "How many Cyclonians does it take to screw in a light bulb? Doesn't matter, they never figure out how to use the ladder!" That one received an explosion of laughter, people declaring how true it was and slapping the guys shoulder.

In the middle of the horde of laughter, Aerrow sat there quietly. The fun had died out for him. They didn't know what they were talking about, sure the Talons were a little clumsy, but not all of them were mock worthy. One in particular certainly didn't deserve to be spoken about in such a way.

But there was nothing he could do, expect sit, listen, and force out a laugh and offer a strained smile.

"Anyone got some about Dark Ace or Cyclonis?"

It was almost like they had been rehearsing for such an opening, because immediately Sky Knights started to stand up, one after the other, and execute their humour on the two famous faces of the hated Terra.

"Dark Ace must have be born in the wastelands, because that's where most accidents happen!"

"Cyclonis' parents hated her so much that her bath toy was a toaster!"

"Dark Ace couldn't pour water out of a shoe if the instructions were on the heel!"

Aerrow couldn't even look at them, and was trying to concentrate on the plate in front of him, he felt utterly appalled.

He had to restrain a disappointed expression when Finn spoke up, "Dude you should see the drawing of him on our fridge."

There was a sputter of laughter, feeling encouraged the blonde continued "Yeah, we use it as target practice!"

"Now there's an idea!"

The redhead couldn't take it, his emerald eyes were glazed with despair and he wouldn't be able to hold back if someone asked him to join in. He leaned to Piper and told her he was going to their room.

"But we haven't even had the entrée yet."

"I know, but I...I feel ill," with that he got up, nearly knocking over his water and sped for the door with hectic urgency.

The Rex Guardian with a goatee called out to him, "Where are you going Aerrow? Come on I want a story about you kicking that bastards ass!"

The redhead mumbled, barely forming the excuse properly, "No I have to go, sorry."

As soon as he was out of the dining room, he was sprinting up the stairs with breakneck speed. His bedroom couldn't be close enough, and when he was finally safe behind the closed door, he sank to the floor with a hand over his mouth as he fought to muffle his grief.

They had no idea. Dark Ace had died to save them. He felt enraged at them all down there. And of course soon he was welling up with guilt, for thinking so negatively about his comrades. All these feelings were supposed to have died with the zombies. Unable to handle it he rested his head on his knees.

Tears were forming. Aerrow clenched his fists, "No," he growled, "I'm not going to do this. I'm not going to cry...he'd be pissed off if I cried over him." He sniffled and shook his head "Come on, get a grip."

A knock on the door sent him flying forward in a panic, he got up and straightened himself out, hastily wiping the tears that had not yet fallen from his eyes.

"Aerrow? Can we come in?"

"Yes..."

It was Piper and Junko, their faces long with concern. "I thought you might have been in bed, are you OK? Your eyes are red."

Unable to conjure words their leader merely nodded and swallowed hard, then proceeded to sit on the bed and take his shoes off, pretending like he was actually planning to go.

"Can I get you anything buddy?"

"No thanks Junko I uh, probably just have a stomach bug or something, I'll be OK, I should just sleep it off." He flashed them a smile, trying to make it glow as brightly as it had been this past month, but he had a feeling he'd failed, their expressions proved him right.

Piper was the first to speak, rubbing her arm nervously, "Well if you're sure. I'll be up soon anyway." And then she left, looking back a few times in the hopes that he might stop her.

Much to his dismay Junko stood firm. He was wearing a warm smile, a smile that made people curious as to how he'd managed to survive growing up on Terra Wallop.

The flight engineer took a seat beside his Sky Knight and placed a hand on his shoulder, then spoke with a soft voice. "Aerrow, I just want you to know that if something is bothering you, and you want to have a talk in confidence, I'm here. You can confide in me, I won't say anything to anyone."

Junko was offering a blessing of silence, and he believed his friend, and for a split second he considered telling him everything; The zombies, the multiple deaths he had witnessed, the time travel, the Dark Ace. But that consideration was only for a second, and then reason fought it's way through and regained his attention.

"Thanks Junko, I appreciate it, but uh...I'm fine, honest. Just a little queezy." He offered the Wallop another 'reassuring' smile, but it soon sunk into a frown when Junko stared back at him looking offended.

"You know, if you want to feign illness, at least sound like your sick, or rub your forehead like you've got a headache or something." Then he stood up quietly, leaving Aerrow speechless and anxious.

He opened the door and just before leaving said quietly, "I won't say anything, or ask any more, I promise, and my word is my bond. So I'm going to ask once more, and I would really appreciate an honest answer. Aerrow, is there something bothering you?"

There eyes were locked for a moment that lasted a lifetime. The teen was frozen in an inner debate, a simple one word answer conflicting him. Finally his brows creased, he swallowed with defeat, and dryly answered "Yes."

**OoO.**

**There ya go hope it was worth the wait ^^" I will try with all my might to update quicker next time.**

**Please review if you read and liked :)**

**Until next time!**


	3. Seize the day

***WAVES PITIFUL WHITE FLAG* Please! Hold your fire because I have a pretty good reason for leaving the update this late...again ^^" No I swear I do. I moved house recently, and it has kicked my writers block into gear. I hope that excuse is enough for you not to get mad at me...we still friends?**

**Anyway sooooo sorry it took me this long regardless of the move, I really have tried hard to write this and edit it. I hope it is worth the wait, it's pretty long one so I hope it makes up for it lol**

**I don't own storm hawks**

**Enjoy!**

**OoOo.**

Sleeping in was a thing of the past for Aerrow, the routine of waking at the crack of dawn with Dark Ace had been welded onto his subconscious, so he rose at six thirty the next morning. He couldn't dwell on last nights breakdown, it had not been the first time and it certainly wouldn't be the last, so it was time to move on with the new day.

The hotel bed was unbelievably soft and silky, so much that you could not shuffle around under the covers, it was more like an awkward slide. Compared to the firm, spring loaded beds back on the Condor, it was a tiresome chore in itself trying to adjust and actually fall asleep.

Aerrow sat up in his bed, the quilt was so thick and feathery, it was like being swallowed up by a creamy texture. He stretched his arms up high, and gave a beastly yawn, then rubbed the sticky substance out of his emerald eyes. They steered over to Piper, her slender body barely recognisable underneath the stodgy blanket, her breathing barely noticeable. The redhead sat there for a moment, watching her gently dream, it was so unlike his own unconscious thrashing, and he was glad she was untouched by such nightmares.

He finally slid out of bed, casting one last glance at Piper, she resembled a slumbering goddess as the sun glowed across her frame. At least that's what he saw, and it magnified him towards her. His steps were light and careful, determined not to disturb her, and when he broke the distance, he bent down and kissed her forehead. A quick smile flashed over her lips, which he grinned tenderly at.

He left her side and greeted the reflection in the mirror with tired eyes and flat bed hair, which he immediately fluffed up on sight. Aerrow was only wearing pyjama bottoms, but that wasn't why his chest looked bare. He went to the bedside drawer, and opened it, thankful that it wasn't stiff or didn't creak with age. Inside was a worn out box, and inside that was the Storm Hawk pendant, he took it out and returned to the mirror with it on. He gazed at it with admiration, and felt proud that it was around his neck. But despite his respect for it, the rest of his team had still not seen it. He hated to admit it, but he just wasn't ready to show them.

_Seize the day; _that was the philosophy the young Sky Knight lived by these days, but that statement didn't necessarily mean make a bunch of daring goals and complete them. It certainly didn't mean that to Aerrow. No, spending time with his family was how he defied those words. And by that he meant really spending time with them, not training or discussing the burdens of rogues, just being close to them, and appreciating who they are. Because after the zombies took them away he discovered the heart breaking revelation, that every single one of his friends were more valuable to him than everything else on the Atmos combined.

Which was why today he decided the Storm Hawks would venture out onto the streets of Terra Rex and enjoy it's deluxe culture. So the Sky Knight was wearing a light grey hoody, he had only ever worn it twice in his life, which was probably why it looked so clean. And he settled with casual jeans and baseball boots for the bottom half.

Radar was curled up on the bottom of Aerrow's bed, the sky monkey's snores were so pathetic compared to Junko's ; it was like comparing a mountain stream to thrashing waves. The Sky Knight scratched the base of his co-pilot's ears, chuckling at whisper volume as his feet kicked involuntarily. He continued until Radar finally woke up, and when he did he chirped delightfully.

"Morning buddy, want to go exploring today?" Radar purred and his small head gravitated towards the palm of Aerrow's hand, silently requesting more attention from it. The redhead happily obliged, and made sure to itch all the nook and crannies of the sky monkey's body, hitting the kind of places that make your pet lean into your hand, as they practically sink to the floor with contentment.

While he tended to Radar's request, his eyes found Piper again, a few strands of midnight blue had fallen out of place and were now draped across her face, decorating the tip of her nose and her cheek. He wanted to sit on the edge of her bed, and gently brush the hair out of her pretty features, a few more minutes with Radar then he probably would give in to the temptation.

But much to his dismay, a moan rumbled in her throat as she began to drift away from her peaceful slumber. Her eyes fluttered as she blinked into consciousness, and rose from her cloud nine pillow. She yawned then peered over to Aerrow's bed, instantly searching the room when she found that he wasn't there.

When she saw him, amber met emerald and they became lost in each other's eyes, the unspoken attraction filling the air like a sweet smelling perfume. As they studied each other's faces for a moment, narrow smiles progressed into something brighter.

"Morning Piper," he said softly, his hand still tending to his friend's fluffy coat.

He seemed to have snapped her out of her yearning daze, as she broke the locked gaze and began stroking her messy hair. "Good morning Aerrow. How are you feeling?" She asked, with a dry throat.

"Much better thanks."

She looked at him again, suddenly her cheeks flushed and she averted her eyes, but that smile curled tighter. Aerrow was oblivious to the fact that he had just offered her a rather handsome smile, emerald tinted with a dashing charm.

After that, Piper scrambled out of bed feeling almost vulnerable, as she had never been so captivated by a guys face before. Aerrow was attractive to her, but she had never felt bewitched to go and kiss him so desperately.

Aerrow was both thrown and excited by her sudden bashful disposition, but the moment seemed to have passed for them as she had her back turned to him.

"So, I was thinking we could go into town today, sound good?" He offered, trying to sound like he had barely noticed what they had just shared.

It seemed to dowse her hot flush, "Sure, are you after something in particular?"

"Not really, I just think we should have a look around, I mean this is technically a vacation, so we may as well make the most of it."

Piper was infront of the mirror now, combing the tangles out of her hair and heightening the strands that had fallen while she slept. "Well, I would love to do some sightseeing, but good luck convincing Finn. Actually, would you go wake up the others? I'll get ready while you're gone."

Aerrow nodded and finally abandoned his post with Radar, who whimpered when he no longer had the teen's soothing hand. As he passed her, he smiled at her reflection which grinned right back at him. And then he was out of the hotel room and into the corridor, air freshener invading his nostrils the second the door opened.

Finn and Junko's room was two doors down, which the leader and crystal mage were silently grateful for because it was hard to hear their boisterous antics. His knock was long and vigorous as he figured they would both still be fast asleep. His suspicions seemed correct, as he listened in and could hear them falling out of bed and thundering to the door in a hazy panic.

Aerrow was greeted by a less than amused Finn, his brows were furrowed, which seemed to enhance the dark circles under his eyes. "Dude, it's not even nine," he grumbled, and yawned, giving the redhead an eye full of his mouth.

"I know, but we've got the week off, it's silly to waste the day in bed."

"Aerrow, that is exactly what we should be doing when we've got time off."

"Come on Finn, we're going to take a look around town, and it's important to me that we spend this vacation together. So go wake up Junko and meet us in the corridor in ten minutes, please." Finn whined, and was thankfully still too drowsy to notice his leader's sudden neediness. So he promised Aerrow that he would not go back to bed, then closed the door.

Aerrow moved onto Stork's room, and three knocks later the Merb answered with a book of poetry in his hand.

"Morning Stork, I'm surprised you're already up."

"Yeah well I'm an insomniac, I'm lucky if I can fit three hours of sleep into my paranoid schedule. But I'm glad you're here, because this room is driving me crazy, I don't think I can last a week. You five can stay in the hotel, but I might have to return to the Condor, this place is too crowded. Aerrow, please tell me we're going out today?" His voice was still possessed by that eerie tone, which could even make a hotel room sound like the pits of eternal damnation.

"Actually I thought we could head into town, are you alright with that?"

"Anything, I'm getting desperate."

Aerrow grimaced, and placed a hand on the pilot's shoulder, "if you felt uncomfortable with this you should have said something sooner, if this isn't your thing I mean. It makes no difference to me."

The Sky Knight only noticed the eye twitch when it actually stopped, Stork loosed up a bit then said, "Well then, if that's the case I will be moving back onto the Condor after today."

"Fine by me, um since you're already dressed I guess just come out in about ten minutes, we're all meeting in the corridor."

Ten minutes had been a foolish, ignorant dream. Half an hour later, and Aerrow, Piper, Stork and Radar were finally graced with Finn and Junko's presence. The sharpshooter still hadn't seemed to have recovered from being woken up so early, as he was leaning on Junko, his eyes only opened when someone spoke to him.

As they headed down the many flights of stairs for breakfast, Stork asked with that paranoid tone, "So what was wrong with you last night? You didn't pick up a parasite did you? Maybe someone is carrying something..."

Aerrow stiffened up, "No no, I'm fine Stork, I just um..."

Junko, who was carrying Finn down with one arm said, "I saw you wolf your starter down, it probably just gave you heartburn or gas or something."

"Oh yeah, of course, it would have just been that," the redhead agreed and tried to shrug the topic off.

Junko turned to Stork, "I've done that plenty of times, don't worry."

The lobby was finally in front of them, and it seemed like each time you saw it, you could pick out a different flower vase, or bust, or small detail that you swore wasn't there before. The room itself was like a work of art.

They crossed the red carpet which lead to the front desk, passed a grand self portrait of Harrier, and headed for the dining hall. Aerrow adjusted his pace to match Junko's and when he was by his side he whispered "Thanks," his eyes full of gratitude. Junko just smiled back and shortly nodded, then rushed to the food, dragging Finn along with him.

The food display was just as vast as the spread laid out for dinner, the Storm Hawks never knew there could be so many breakfast options. Finn collected more food then he would be able to handle, with the confidence that should he struggle the Wallop would finish what he started.

They sat together on a round table, surrounded by other people doing exactly the same, with one minor difference; they were all better dressed. A pearly white cloth was covering the table, Stork sneered, "You could wash this cloth ten times in a row with the best award winning detergent, and it still wouldn't shine as bright as Harrier's teeth."

After the most important meal of the day, the squadron left the hotel and strolled down the streets of Terra Rex, and the very sight of it all, even the clean cobbles of the road, made Aerrow's heart beat with ease.

Families were together, oblivious to the gift of life. There was no stray litter on the floor, let alone rivers of blood with fleshy driftwood. Up above, just before your eyes could settle on the clear blue sky, colourful flags with the Rex Guardian sigil were suspended across the roofs of buildings. There was no "HELP," or "NO HOPE" painted on the walls, defiling the streets. And the smell of death did not linger like a sickly fog, there was only the strong scent of cinnamon.

It wasn't just the zombie apocalypse, this place even seemed untouched by the general horrors of reality. It almost felt fake, and Aerrow was finding it hard to adjust to the sensation of being somewhere so clean and unburdened.

"Are you alright Aerrow?" Piper suddenly asked, and before he could answer he realised she was linking his arm. The harsh laws of being a lovestruck teenager dictated that he must have been blushing at this point.

_Don't look at her. Don't - I said don't look at her! Dammit, that's a nice cheek, I think I should kiss it. Oh my god shut the hell up! Just look at the flags for christ sake._ In the midst of his thoughts, he looked away from her and forced himself to stare at the street decorations. "Of course, just uh, wondering what the flags are for."

"Oh, I heard some people talking about it in the dining hall, apparently there is a festival on. Could we go check it out?" She kept her amber eyes fixed on her leader, and was determined to keep them there until he looked back at her, once he did she battered her eyelashes and smiled sweetly, "Please?"

He maintained his composure, and refused to acknowledge the shade of his cheeks, "Sure."

"Aw come on dude! Who cares about some dumb festival? I wanna check out the food joints."

"Finn you just had breakfast! And keep your voice down, you could offend someone!"

Finn rolled his eyes then raised an eyebrow at her, as if he couldn't believe he was actually having to spell this out for her. "Piper, there is always room for a candy buffet."

"How do you know there even is a candy buffet around here?"

"That poster on the wall gave me a pretty good hint." Finn pointed back to the advertisement, and he was right, there was a candy buffet not far. Junko was now drooling, almost to the same quantity as the blonde.

Aerrow sighed with defeat, of course these two wouldn't find any joy in a festival for a place where their culture originates from the code. He wanted them all to spend time together, but knew he would find more solace in knowing that they were somewhere else grinning like idiots at all the sweet treats.

So he shrugged and smiled at them, "You two might as well go ahead then. We can meet back up later."

Finn and Junko shared a side glance, but did not question the fact that they were just granted the wish to go and devour all the candy they wanted, then raced off in a gleeful stuper. Seconds later the weight of Radar was lifted from Aerrow's shoulders, as the sky monkey had leapt to the floor and was hurrying to catch up.

Stork creeped up from behind, and stuck his head in between Aerrow and Piper, "I don't want to go to the festival either, so can I be excused as well? Or was that some kind of moron privilege you were handing out?"

"You can go your own way too stork, just be careful..." he failed to catch those last words in his throat before saying them. He glanced at the two of them, their faces were scrunched up with a befuddled expression, eyebrows raised.

"Sure thing. I'll give the folk singers a wide birth." And then he creeped away, shooting Aerrow one last puzzled stare before disappearing behind a corner.

Alone together and they were still linking arms, should anyone lay eyes on them now, they would look like a typical teenage couple out on a date. Aerrow's stomach felt like a whirlwind of dancing butterflies.

Piper's stuttering gave him the notion that she too was experiencing the same flurry of nerves, "So, uh, what do you want to do?"

"Go find the festival?"

"Right yeah of course," she coughed, and they both fell silent, their nerves hindering the conversation. Thankfully the festival did not take too long to locate, the flocks of people all herding in the same direction made it easy to find.

The main attraction was right in the middle of the town square. People were dancing, the women wearing long yellow dresses with black patterns, their frames straightened with laced corsets. The men were wearing pompous costumes, the kind you would expect to find at a folk dance. There were polished wooden stalls placed around the dancing area, in the shape of a horseshoe.

"Yep, Finn would have loved this," Piper said with heavy sarcasm.

_Don't ask me to dance. Don't ask me to dance. Don't ask me to dance. _Aerrow prayed in his head, hoping the crystal mage would get the message through some kind of miracle wavelength. He couldn't risk making a fool of himself, so before she could suggest joining in he tugged her to the right, enticing her with the stalls. Which did actually look really nice, each one was selling pretty little trinkets, or local delicacies, one even offered a selection of accessories for a skimmer. Not that Aerrow bought any of them, he felt either ribbons or air fresheners would negate the whole daring hero image.

None of the items on offer really sparked his fancy, so he ended up fashioning a similar look to some of the other guys here today; glorified shopping bag rack. He felt like a mule as Piper skipped infront of him from one stall to the next, but he didn't complain, watching her happiness was reward enough. Not that he would enjoy doing this daily mind...

"I'm glad you're having fun Piper, but remember we do have a budget." _Crap...I really should have given that advice to the others too..._

Aerrow's hand met his face when they all grouped back together, because he really should have advised the others to watch their spending.

Stork had already been sat waiting for the rest of the Storm Hawks to show up, he was soaking up the contents of a black book he was reading, and beside him was a neatly stacked tower of other books with ghastly titles.

Finn had cotton candy scattered around his lips, chin and a wisp of it caught in his spiked hair. Tucked under his arms were a few white boxes, which were apparently stocked to the brim with sugary treats. Junko was carrying twice the amount, and had a donut in his mouth, sprinkles escaped from it when he tried to speak. Radar was perched on his shoulder, and had a candy necklace around his neck and dangling from his tail.

For the first time ever Piper did not lecture them, souly because it would have been immensely hypocrital if she had. So the Storm Hawks walked back together with absent remarks about the amount of money spent.

As they headed for Hotel Le Rex, passing the elegant residents as they did, Piper felt like they were polluting the dignified streets with the boy's boisterous laughter. The pedestrians of the high class Terra were slapped with surprise when they saw a group of noisy, patch work dressed children entering the expensive new hotel.

"Let's all go to the bar!" Finn declared, getting over excited and almost dropping two boxes of gooey treats onto the polished marble floor. Somewhere, a cleaner's heart almost broke.

"Finn! You're practically bouncing off the walls the last thing we're going to let you do is down sugary drinks!" Piper said sternly, flicking her new white silk scarf over her shoulder as she did.

"Yeah, sorry but I have to side with Piper on this one," Aerrow said, his hands full with paper bags, each one had a logo imprint.

"Humph, well of course you would agree with her," Finn mumbled crossing his arms.

Stork walked past them on his way to the stairs and said, "Finn, I think the whole hotel would agree with Piper."

The Merb had already reached the foot of the gleaming stairs when Aerrow asked, "Are you coming back down?"

"No, as previously discussed I'm going to pack my things and return to the Condor."

"You sure dude?"

"Believe me, I'd rather that than sitting in some lounge, breathing in the same air as a bunch of pompous tycoons. Good night."

Finn was struggling with his boxes now, so Junko began to take a few from him and add them to his own large piles, whilst saying, "If we can't go to the bar why don't we go back to our room too Finn? We could watch the movie we rented." The blonde's spirits heightened, and with that he hurried to the stairs, moving as fast as anyone could go with five boxes of sweets, pastries and jellies under his arms.

"You guys want to come too?" The wallop asked with a generous smile.

"I actually fancy spending some time in the bar myself, nothing like a chilled orange juice after a long day," Piper said. "You coming Aerrow?"

The redhead didn't hesitate to agree. They wished Junko good luck with Finn as he began to catch up to the blonde, who was accompanied once more by Radar, because an animal always follows a food trail.

Aerrow and Piper exchanged a glance, then walked side by side alone once more, and searched for the Hotel Le Rex bar. There would be no mandatory evening meal tonight, as it was just for the grand opening, which Aerrow was grateful for.

The two young teenagers had never actually been to a bar before, their adolescence would certainly never identify them as a couple who actually belonged in one. Not that it ever really intrigued them, Finn had complained about missing out on all the sweet parties, but Aerrow and Piper always had other ideals of fun.

The bar was equally as classy as the rest of the hotel, but it did not possess the same dignified calmness like the bedrooms or dining hall. The more vibrant colours, lighted floor tiles and twinkling ceiling offered the promise of a good time. But there was no where to experiment with crystals, infact everything was so communal in here, and there was a sign above the serving area that read "NO FIGHTS", so practicing a bit of Sky Fu was out of the question. Therefore, a quiet drink before the evening darkened into night would be on order for the two, and then they would happily retreat to their room.

There was a nice bouncy tune in the background, that Piper couldn't help but bob to in her seat to as they sat at the serving counter. The bartender was friendly enough, and brought them their non alcoholic drinks seconds after they asked for it.

A few sips from their drinks and then they heard their names being called, they turned and spotted Starling sat by herself at a table in a booth at the far end of the room. They waved at her, then left their seats to go and join her.

Piper sat next to the woman she so openly admired, and blushed a little when Starling laughed and asked, "Been binge shopping I see?"

"Yeah," she twirled her blue hair, "just making most of the week."

Aerrow took another sip then asked with a friendly smile, "Did you go to the festival today Starling?"

"I didn't, I've been rather busy today actually, coming down for a drink was my first break since ten o'clock this morning."

The redhead cocked an eyebrow, "You've been working? But I thought this was an invited vacation?"

"It is, and I have been enjoying myself, but some things are too urgent you know?" She took a big gulp of her drink, and given how straight laced the Interceptor always carried herself as, it was peculiar to see her downing something alcoholic. Aerrow tried to imagine her drunk, and acting wild and loose on the dancefloor. He failed.

Piper tapped the table with her slender fingers, "So what's the urgent work? If you don't mind me asking?"

The older Sky Knight averted her eyes from the two of them, appearing guilty for having to say, "I'm afraid I do mind. Sorry, it's not really a conversation to have in a light hearted place such as this."

Starling looked back at Piper and her young disappointed face cried out to her, she adored Piper like a little sister. And judging by her excited gaze every time she saw her, she figured Piper must have felt the same way. Starling felt like she was part of the Storm Hawk family, they were the first squadron to open up to her so strongly ever since the Interceptors were lost.

"However," she started, convincing herself that this was a good idea, "I suppose I could share it with you two, you've both helped me with missions before, and there's a chance I could need help with this sometime in the future."

They both brightened up, and Starling raised her eyebrows, it really didn't take much to please these two did it? They never seemed to treat their duties as a chore, it was actually a refreshing sight.

"Really?" Piper squealed.

Starling smiled lightly, "Yes, but I'd still rather not discuss it down here. We should go back to my room." The Interceptor downed the rest of her drink, then got up, the Storm Hawks following quietly.

The older Sky Knight was on a lower floor to Aerrow and Piper, but her room was right at the end of the hall, and hidden behind a corner, which was something she requested. Stork wasn't the only one who prefered a bit of solitude. As she unlocked the door she humbly apologised about the mess, which left the crystal mage pre-comparing it to Finn and Junko's room. And she was right to, because apart from some clothes tossed carelessly on the floor, and a sea of papers scattered across her queen sized bed it really was nothing in comparison.

Hastily Starling scooped up her clothes and dropped them in an empty corner, then with the two teens still stood awkwardly by the door, she stretched her arms out and gathered all the papers on her bed into a messy pile with one raking action.

As she put them on a desk by the window she said, "Please sit down, make yourselves at home."

This was the closest either of them had ever gotten to seeing Starling in a place of residence, they felt close to her, but had not spent enough time in her company to 'make themselves at home'. So they both sat on the edge of her bed, gently nudging some sheets that she had missed out of the way.

She fiddled around with the television screen and turned it on, explaining that she wanted it as background noise while they spoke. And then, she started; "I feel confident that I can share this with you, because well, you know all about my undercover work on Cyclonia a year and a half back."

"You've been doing more undercover work?" Aerrow pressed eagerly, he was desperate to hear some news about the black Terra, but didn't realise that he sounded outraged at the idea instead.

"No," she answered, but then her eyes shuffled around the room, as she felt unable to offer the right words. "But...I'm in a similar situation, and above all the other squadrons, I feel that I can trust you both with this." She cast her eyes on them, and as they studied her face they read how important the matter was. "But you both need to keep this to yourselves. I'd prefer you not to inform the rest of your team either, no offense, I just don't trust Finn's mouth."

Aerrow and Piper looked at each other, engaging in a silent debate, and then they nodded and turned back to Starling. "We understand your concern, and we promise not to say a word."

"Right thank you. OK...where to start?" She turned her back to them, and fiddled around with the sheets she had scooped up before, flicking through a few of them. Piper took this moment to glance down at the papers she had missed, upon further inspection it was all hand written, but there was a sense of urgency in the ink, like a kid who copies down homework at the last minute.

Then Starling turned back around, and stood before the two teens like a soldier filing in a report to a commanding officer. "About two weeks ago, I had returned home after a trivial mission. Waiting for me in the mail was a messenger crystal, and immediately I was curious, because the only people ever to contact me are fellow Sky Knights or the council, but even then I'm always reached through the radio.

"Anyway, I played the message, and much to my surprise it had came from a Cyclonian." Aerrow's eyes widened, several questions exploding in his mind, his breath hitched as he prevented them from passing his lips. What ever Starling had to report was surely more important than an inquiry about a funeral, and thinking about it, that wouldn't sound right to ask anyway.

"I didn't recognise the man's voice, he was hoarse and the entire message was whispered, I could barely make out some of the words. He told me that he was a low rank Talon, and because of this he wasn't given a lot of information about current affairs concerning the war, but he had to share some deep concerns with me."

"Why you?" Piper asked, her face creased with concentration as she took it all in.

"I don't know, I don't even know how he got my address. Then he said that Cyclonia was planning something, nothing like before. This was dangerous and a threat to the entire Atmos."

"Did he say what?" The crystal mage asked again.

"Well after that his voice got all rushed and he said that someone was coming so he had to end the message, but he would be in touch as soon as possible. At the time I didn't really think much of it, Talons can be rather dramatic, and I even considered it to be a possible trap. But a couple of days later the messenger crystal glowed again, I activated it and a projection of some documents came up."

She returned her attention back to the papers, picked out a specific page then handed it to them, like the ones on the bed it was all rushed handwriting. "They were official patient records from the Cyclonian infirmary. I was confused, I mean why would this concern the Atmos? But when I read through it, I realised that these specific patients had been committed to some kind of...experiment." She swallowed and grimaced, "Something inhumane. I didn't really know what this meant for the Atmos, but I immediately copied it all down. I apologise for my hand writing."

The paper talked about body enhancements, and injections for fluids that had not been properly tested, infact her notes described that the Talons involved possibly could have _been_ the test subjects.

"After that, I kept getting images of documents and even photographs. And the more information I gathered, the more this puzzle began to make sense."

Aerrow's stomach was churning into something wicked and toxic enough to throw up. Freakish experiments? Wasn't that what Cyclonis indulged in to start the zombie apocalypse last time? _Stop it Aerrow. You made the wish. The zombies are over. Besides, Cyclonis wasn't injecting people with stuff last time, she was using crystals. This is probably just something to make her army more stronger. _"So," he said whilst trying to decipher what all the scientific terms meant, "what is she planning?"

Starling slumped her shoulders, "I still don't know exactly, but I'll tell you what I do know. Maybe you can help me figure it out." She made her way to the bed and sat down with them, resting her back against the headboard.

"OK, from what I can gather, Cyclonis is obviously trying to gain a drastic advantage in the war with whatever the hell this is. I have no clue when this started, but, thanks to my little Cyclonian snitch I can tell you that she hired scientists from all over the Atmos, I mean we are talking the best of the best, and their professions all seem to revolve around the same kind of thing: body manipulations, and the biology of the human mind.

"Now, with these scientists she has been undertaking some nasty experiments. And she doesn't seem to be exercising merciful restraint on these people because they are her soldiers. She is not holding back, believe me, I've seen photos of some of the outcomes," Starling shuddered, "it's horrific." Aerrow and Piper glanced worriedly at each other and gulped.

"I wish I knew what kind of outcome she is aiming for, but some classified doctor notes have told me that the end result could match what I can only describe as a superhuman. Tests have already been carried out and I don't think crystals will be able to stop these new modified soldiers. I don't know how many successes she currently has. But recently I was sent a map of the Atmos, with some Terras already marked, so that must be where she plans to strike first."

"When is this all going to happen?"

"I don't know."

"How can you not know?" Piper blurted out, more rudely than anticipated.

"Look I'm sorry! But this Talon is risking everything to do this, and need I remind you he's not a high rank, we should be grateful we've been given a heads up at all."

"If he's a low rank how has he gotten all the classified information?"

"Believe me Piper, anything can be breached, your determination is the real limit."

**oOoO.**

**I hope that chapter met your satisfactions, and if it was please review it for me I would really appreciate it :)**

**Until next time...**


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